Steelers linebacker James Harrison is willing to restructure his contract. Smart man.

Harrison won't take a pay cut, however, and that stubborn streak could make him an ex-Steeler.

Harrison is scheduled to earn $6.57 million in 2013 and $7.57 million in '14. That's a big salary-cap number for a pass-rusher who turns 35 in May, is coming off knee surgery a year ago and is two years removed from two back surgeries.

Harrison may be banged up, but it's shortsighted to label him old. He's better than most of the young linebackers on the roster, who can't beat him out. He's still good when he isn't playing every down, but the Steelers aren't paying him all that money to be a part-time player.

Which brings us back where we started. Are the Steelers better off with Harrison on their payroll, even in a more limited role, at a fraction of his salary? Yes, they are. To believe otherwise is delusional.

Who on the Steelers' roster is better than Harrison at right outside linebacker? Jason Worilds? He's 10 years younger than Harrison, but an even bigger injury risk. Chris Carter? No, not the Cris Carter who just made the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a wide receiver.

“I don't think anybody would argue at the end of the season that James Harrison was the best linebacker the Steelers had,” said agent Bill Parise, who represents Harrison.

Parise is paid handsomely to say nice things about his client. Harrison wasn't the Steelers best linebacker in 2012 — Lawrence Timmons was. But Harrison was productive. In 13 games, he recorded 70 tackles and six sacks.

What concerns the Steelers are the three games Harrison missed while recovering from knee surgery. When he returned, Harrison wasn't the same explosive force from four years ago, and the Steelers must decide whether to pay Harrison his full salary this year and next, restructure his contract to create a lower cap number, or release him.

So let's take emotion out of what the Steelers should do regarding Harrison. The front office has to make a cold-blooded business decision, just as it did with Pro Bowl standouts Alan Faneca and Joey Porter.

The Steelers should restructure Harrison's contract or ask him to take a pay cut. They can't afford to pay him $6.5 million next season, so find a number both sides can agree upon.

Working in Harrison's favor is the Steelers' glaring lack of depth. The Steelers replaced Porter with Harrison and Faneca with Chris Kemoeatu. Their roster isn't deep anymore.

Will keeping Harrison on the payroll make the Steelers a playoff team again? They were 8-8 with him in the lineup in 2012. Although Harrison was slowed by injuries, can the Steelers be absolutely certain he hasn't played his best football?

Harrison is worth the gamble. The Steelers need Harrison because they aren't better without him. Letting him go would be a mistake.

Football being a business, I have the perfect landing spot for Harrison if things don't work out with the Steelers: Cleveland.

New Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, a former Steelers' minority owner, would consider it a major coup to sign Harrison, who was raised in nearby Akron. You better believe Haslam wouldn't ask Harrison to take a pay cut.

“There's no list (of prospective teams),” Parise said. “We're not talking about it. We've certainly not even gone down that road. James loves Pittsburgh. I think the reason people are talking about James is because he's a higher salary guy.”

At the same time, Parise said the Steelers made no assurances they won't release Harrison.

New York Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw was released last week, a year after scoring the winning touchdown in Super Bowl XLVI. Bradshaw led the Giants in rushing each of the last three years, but he struggled with foot and ankle injuries and was scheduled to earn $4.25 million in 2013.

“Could it happen? It certainly could. The NFL can cut any player at any time,” Parise said. “Having said that, if James Harrison was released, there would be 31 NFL teams interested in him.

“Can we help the Steelers by restructuring James' contract? We're certainly willing to do that. Do we need to take less money? I don't think so. Personally, I think he's a bargain.”

Personally, I think the Steelers could draft a linebacker in the first round to replace Harrison, but their future is now. It's cheaper to keep him.

IMO, for whatever that's worth, Worilds WILL play ROLB before we restructure Harrison.A restructure is not going happen as we would need to add a year to his contract, and suffer the dead money cap hit when he can't finish it out. The only way Debo stays will be if he agrees to a big paycut. Based on the article, that's sounding like a snowballs chance in h*ll .

WokeUpWithaWoodley

02-12-2013, 07:47 AM

According to John Harris of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison is willing to restructure his contract, but he is not interested in taking a pay cut.

Harrison, who is scheduled to earn a $6.57 million base salary, and count $10.035 million against the cap next season, is under contract through the 2014 season and his agent Bill Parise still considers the soon-to-be 35 year-old linebacker a bargain for the Steelers at that rate.

"Can we help the Steelers by restructuring James' contract? We're certainly willing to do that, Parise told the paper. "Do we need to take less money? I don't think so. Personally, I think he's a bargain."

If the Steelers were to do a simple restructure and turn $5.57 million of the $6.57 million base salary that Harrison is scheduled to earn in 2013 into a signing bonus, it would only lower his cap number by $2.785 million in 2013 if another year wasn't added onto the contract. Doing that would also increase potential dead money in 2014 by $2.785 million more.

Terminating the contract of Harrison outright would clear $5.105 million in cap space in 2013 with no repercussions of dead money in 2014.

You can certainly see the dilemma that the Steelers are now faced with and it is one that I predicted could happen dating back to last May. They simply can't keep Harrison at his current base salary and a simple restructure really is not worth the savings it would create in my opinion. The cap is expected to remain flat in 2014 and throwing $2.785 million in additional dead money in that year would be foolish.

The only way that I saw Harrison potentially staying in 2013 would be if he agreed to a base salary cut of $3 million or more, but it appears that Parise and Harrison are not interested in that option.

“I don't think anybody would argue at the end of the season that James Harrison was the best linebacker the Steelers had,” Parise said.

While the above quote might certainly be true, betting that Harrison has another 10 sack, 16 game season in him is very risky. He has missed 8 games the last two seasons due to injuries and the Steelers just can't take that chance.

The Steelers need to be cap compliant in less than a month, and unless Harrison and Parise change their tune, it appears that a divorce is unavoidable right now.

Restructure of his contract would only save 2 mil of the cap this year but add more dead money in the future. Cutting him saves 5mil with no dead money in the future.

Although he's great and I love the guy, it seems like a easier decision to me than people make it out to be. Cut him and start worlids.

Very similar to the Joey porter situation.

VaDave

02-12-2013, 08:28 AM

Agreed in full. Man what a player......Without a doubt, one of my altime favorites of any era.

lloydwoodson

02-12-2013, 08:55 AM

Agreed in full. Man what a player......Without a doubt, one of my altime favorites of any era.

Yeah when you look at the production he has had since he began starting full-time it is amazing. It is especially amazing considering the impact he has had in his 30s- when most players are on the down side of their careers. It is too bad he never started opposite Joey Porter. That would have been a nightmare for offenses.

3 out of 6 of his seasons as a starter have resulted in 8 FF+Ints. That is unreal for any player let alone a linebacker.

wwhickok

02-12-2013, 09:41 AM

Id be really surprised if Harrison was on the roster at the start of the season.

steeltheone

02-12-2013, 11:08 AM

Yeah when you look at the production he has had since he began starting full-time it is amazing. It is especially amazing considering the impact he has had in his 30s- when most players are on the down side of their careers. It is too bad he never started opposite Joey Porter. That would have been a nightmare for offenses.

3 out of 6 of his seasons as a starter have resulted in 8 FF+Ints. That is unreal for any player let alone a linebacker.

Harrison played sparingly in his early years so he had much less abuse to his body. It's a good thing, because he fell apart the last couple of years.

67 calsteel

02-12-2013, 12:24 PM

he is gone!Harrison will end up where all steelers go. Welcome the Arizonia Harrison.

The money we save by cutting him will cover are rookie class

pete74

02-12-2013, 01:06 PM

Who is going to take Harrisons spot then? Worilds can't stay healthy as a backup let alone a starter. The only way Harrison gets cut is if we draft a OLB in round one or two. We will need a tight end early as well so it depywho falls to us

BLACK_AND_YELLOW

02-12-2013, 03:36 PM

Who is going to take Harrisons spot then? Worilds can't stay healthy as a backup let alone a starter. The only way Harrison gets cut is if we draft a OLB in round one or two. We will need a tight end early as well so it depywho falls to us

Maybe we'll draft Dion Jordan and Jarvis Jones cause there the only players that I could see starting for us day 1, but i believe Worilds will be very good/great player if he stays healthy and stays in shape.

Wonder if they'll move Woodley to ROLB?

SteelersCanada

02-12-2013, 03:45 PM

Wonder if they'll move Woodley to ROLB?

LOLB and ROLB are not interchangeable. It's a common misconception.

As for Harrison being our best Linebacker - a typical agent response. Anyone with two eyes and a shred of common sense will tell you that Timmons was not only our best Linebacker, but probably the best player on the team in 2012.

Fire Haley

02-13-2013, 08:18 AM

defenses are irrelevant these days - I wouldn't spend an extra dime on any of them, go young and lean, get a CB or two and a safety to replace Troy

get the O-line beefed up first, add a cheap RB or 2 and a couple tall fast WR's and let Ben win the games - 30 pts or bust every game, that's how you win

ebsteelers

02-13-2013, 09:44 AM

SILVERBACK!!!!

i dont know how all the cap stuff works but any chance we can cut him and resign him back to a 1 year deal?

wwhickok

02-13-2013, 10:04 AM

SILVERBACK!!!!

i dont know how all the cap stuff works but any chance we can cut him and resign him back to a 1 year deal?

No. He won't take a paycut. I don't see a scenario in which he remains in Pittsburgh.

ebsteelers

02-13-2013, 10:08 AM

No. He won't take a paycut. I don't see a scenario in which he remains in Pittsburgh

he might have to, if no one is going to throw that type of money at him.

they all say they wont take less money, but when push comes to shove he might have to cave a little bit

but 35 is old for an lb, hasnt been healthy,

good luck where ever he ends up

teegre

02-13-2013, 11:27 AM

he might have to, if no one is going to throw that type of money at him.

The Taperiots love "older" players.

Harrison & Ed Reed in New England... ech... ech... baaaaaarffff!!!

ebsteelers

02-13-2013, 01:03 PM

The Taperiots love "older" players.

Harrison & Ed Reed in New England... ech... ech... baaaaaarffff!!!

Goddell would literally shyt his pants if that happened.

How would he fine his poster boys of "dirty" play if they are on his favorite team?

rpbncb

02-13-2013, 01:32 PM

Harrison is a beast but we need to move on if he won't agree to a pay cut. Worlds can't carry James jock let alone take his LB spot. So it's time to draft a couple LB's. If the FO can do it to Hines I would think they'll do it to anyone on the team. Blow it up and get younger now. How 'bout Big Ben to Ariz. for draft picks this year and next??? Just a thought, BB die-hards keep your panties on!!

harrison'samonster

02-13-2013, 01:49 PM

Harrison is a beast but we need to move on if he won't agree to a pay cut. Worlds can't carry James jock let alone take his LB spot. So it's time to draft a couple LB's. If the FO can do it to Hines I would think they'll do it to anyone on the team. Blow it up and get younger now. How 'bout Big Ben to Ariz. for draft picks this year and next??? Just a thought, BB die-hards keep your panties on!!

I don't think Worilds is going to replace Harrison either, but what do I know. I do remember when we lost Porter there was no question that Harrison could step in and take care of that spot. I do agree we can't afford him and unfortunately he's most likely going to be gone.

Big Ben is the one player that if we lose him, we will be in rebuilding mode. I say keep him as long as we can.

LVSteelersfan

02-13-2013, 04:52 PM

Harrison needs to go. How many games has he played the last two seasons? And how many games did he even show a flash of his former self in the games he did play? I can count them on the fingers of one hand. Why do some of you people insist on hanging on to aging stars who cannot stay on the field? It is time to find his replacement whether it be Worilds or through the draft. Same thing with Troy. I think he might have one more year left in him but he has been injured more than he has been on the field in recent years. I loved them both in their primes. Right now they hurt us more than they help and neither one is helping with the cap situation. Thus we end up with an 8-8 season and miss the playoffs.

jfeust

02-13-2013, 05:29 PM

Worlds can't carry James jock let alone take his LB spot.

I don't think we can instantly say he's the next James Harrison, but Worilds was third on the team in sacks (only one behind timmons and harrison) last year with VERY limited playing time. I'm not sure how that can be seen as anything but a great year leading to a starting role.

My dream is to get Jarvis Jones in the draft to match with Worilds, and we have two young dominant outside linebackers for years to come, with Woodley sticking around through the transition period.

FrancoLambert

02-13-2013, 05:43 PM

Before we pencil in Worilds as Harrison's replacement production wise, we need to see a bigger body of work.
No doubt he showed improvement and make some splash plays. Physically he's got it.
But in a limited role.
Let's see him do it consistently as a starter.
As much as I love Deebo, it's too much to spend on him now.

teegre

02-13-2013, 06:40 PM

Goddell would literally shyt his pants if that happened.

How would he fine his poster boys of "dirty" play if they are on his favorite team?

You ever seen one of thos logic-machines self-destruct? That is what Goodell's head would look like... akin to that scene in "Scanners."

Before we pencil in Worilds as Harrison's replacement production wise, we need to see a bigger body of work.
No doubt he showed improvement and make some splash plays. Physically he's got it.
But in a limited role.
Let's see him do it consistently as a starter.
As much as I love Deebo, it's too much to spend on him now.

I love Worilds and I hope he gets more of a chance this year. I am not saying he is a James Harrison but he can be a very good linebacker for us.

WokeUpWithaWoodley

02-13-2013, 07:33 PM

I love Worilds and I hope he gets more of a chance this year. I am not saying he is a James Harrison but he can be a very good linebacker for us.

Totally agree. He has to be given the chance to show what he can so. His wrist will be fully healthy this year. It will be interesting to read to reports from training camp on him.

Steeldude

02-14-2013, 06:59 AM

I love Worilds and I hope he gets more of a chance this year. I am not saying he is a James Harrison but he can be a very good linebacker for us.